When artistic director Sarah Slipper created the Portland-based Northwest Dance Project in 2004, she wanted her company’s performances to be one of a kind.

“The first thing that really makes this company unique is our repertoire,” Slipper said during a recent phone interview. “Everything you see and everything we have in our vast repertoire has been created on the company from our extensive roster of choreographers around the world. A lot of other companies will secure repertoire, but often most of it has been created for other companies. But ours are created only for us.”

The benefit of an exclusive repertoire is that it allows Slipper and her team to be involved in all aspects of the creative process.

“What’s great about having something created specifically for your company is that you’ve done all the research on it and you’ve been working and collaborating with the choreographer,” Slipper said. “You’ve been developing the ideas and that provides this very different layer, rather than having a ballet where the movement has already been established and you are just replicating it.”

In less than a decade, the Northwest Dance Project has already received international critical acclaim and numerous awards, including having two dancers who were recipients of the prestigious Princess Grace Foundation Award, which recognizes excellence in the fields of theater, dance and film.

Northwest Dance Project

Slipper believes that her company’s success is a direct reflection of the talent and loyalty of her dancers.

“Our group works really well together,” she said. “Our dancers are truly fearless and are very open to going on a journey. Their multiple voices really bring us to a very high level. They’ve become really good at what they do, and something we are really proud of is that this company is getting international recognition for being fantastic, extraordinary movers.”

When the Northwest Dance Project comes to the Old Town Temecula Community Theater this weekend, Slipper hopes that lack of knowledge or experience with modern dance won’t deter anyone from buying a ticket.

“A lot of people think that they have to understand dance or that there’s a story to it, and that’s not always the case,” she said. “It’s more about what you get out of it and its power. Did you feel something? Was it physical? There is no story sometimes, so the most important thing is that it can elicit something from you. I want the art to grab you and draw you in.”

For their Temecula performances, the Northwest Dance Project will present three pieces, each with its own choreographer and theme. To open the show, the company will present “Chi” by choreographer Wen Wei Wang.

“What this extraordinary choreographer brings into his dance is his ballet training, and you can really see where he came from professionally in his work,” Slipper said. “The piece is a really beautiful, mesmerizing work that explores what chi is. It’s energy, and the piece works on the energy of the full company.”